Legged Locomotion Seminar 16-899E

Course Name: Seminar on Legged Locomotion
Course Number 16-899 E
Units: 12
Day: Monday, First meeting Jan. 13
Time: 5-6pm
Location: NSH4201
Instructors: Christopher Atkeson, Jessica Hodgins

The goal of this seminar is to understand and move forward the state of the art in robot legged locomotion. The NSF has funded a human-sized bipedal robot for CMU, and we need to be ready to control it when it arrives. We also have part of the Rhex legged locomotion project here at CMU (/www.ri.cmu.edu/projects/project_485.html). Participants will read and present key papers, explore research issues in simulation, and ideally test ideas on actual robots. We are also interested in insights into human locomotion and how to program graphical characters.

Other courses, reading groups

Topics

• Jan 27: Atkeson: Background
  Readings (hardcopy readings are available outside the graphics lab NSH 4228):
  • Hodgins, J. 1991, Biped gait transitions. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. pp. 2091-2097. Movie (Avi Cinepak 126Mb)
  • Miura, H. and I. Shimoyama, Dynamic Walk of a Biped, IJRR 3(2):60-74, 1984 (hardcopy)
  • McMahon, T. A., Mechanics of Locomotion, IJRR 3(2):4-28 (hardcopy) I will focus on characteristics of walking: pages 4-9.
  • Optional: For background on human and animal locomotion: Alexander, R. McN., The Gaits of Bipedal and Quadrupedal Animals, IJRR 3(2):49-59, 1984 (hardcopy)
• Feb 3: Garth Zeglin: Passive Dynamic Walking
  Readings:
  • McMahon, T. A., Mechanics of Locomotion, IJRR 3(2):4-28 (hardcopy) ballistic walking: pages 9-12.
  • McGeer, T., Passive Dynamic Walking, IJRR, pp. 62-82, 1990 (hardcopy)
  Useful web sites, most have movies, some have software:
  • Ruina web site
  • Art Kuo
  • mdonelan
  • Katya Mombaur: 3D compass biped with point feet, 2D biped walking robot with knees and point feet.
  • Delft Bio-robotics Laboratory: 3D Passive Dynamic Biped with knees, feet, and, Yaw and Roll Compensation
  • Kyoto, look for Quartet
  • Nagoya
  • Asano TITECH
  • Asano Riken
  Useful facts:
  • 1837 Weber and Weber: Measure corpses and show that natural frequency of leg when swinging as compound pendulum is similar to cadence in live walking.
• Feb 10: meet in NSH3305 Atkeson: optimization
  Readings:
  • Anderson FC, Pandy MG (2001). Static and dynamic optimization solutions for gait are practically equivalent. Journal of Biomechanics 34: 153-161. (hardcopy) abstract
  • Movie
  • Chapters 5, 7, and 8 of Hardt's thesis: (PDF) (PS) Multibody Dynamical Algorithms, Numerical Optimal Control, with Detailed Studies in the Control of Jet Engine Compressors and Biped Walking Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Intelligent Systems, Robotics, and Control) University of California San Diego, June 1999.
  Readings for more info:
  • Anderson and Pandy, Dynamic Optimization of Human Walking, J. Biom. Eng. 123:381-390, 2001
  • Read all of Hardt's thesis: Available from this page
• Feb 24: Uluc Saranli: Rhex
  Readings and Links
• Mar 3: no class.
• Mar 10: Jonathan Hurst: Mech/Bio
  Readings
  • McMahon, T. A., Mechanics of Locomotion, IJRR 3(2):4-28 (hardcopy) running part: pages 12-28.
  • Design of Components for Programmable Passive Impedance, K. F. Laurin-Kovitz, J. E. Colgate, and S. D. R. Canes, ICRA 1991.
  • Running in the real world: adjusting leg stiffness for different surfaces, Daniel P. Ferris, Micky Louie and Claire T. Farley, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B (1998) 265, 989-994.
  • Series Elastic Actuators, G. A. Pratt and M. W. Williamson, 1995.
• Mar 17: Hodgins: Using Motion Capture to Drive Robots
  Readings
  • Imitating Human Dance Motions through Motion Structure Analysis, Nakazawa, Kanaoka, Ikeuchi, Yokoi, IROS 2002
  • Making Feasible Walking Motion of Humanoid Robots From Human Motion Capture Data, DASGUPTA and NAKAMURA, 1999 ICRA
  • Interactive Control of Avatars Animated with Human Motion Data, Jehee Lee, Jinxiang Chai, Paul S. A. Reitsma, Jessica K. Hodgins, Nancy S. Pollard, SIGGRAPH 2002.
• March 24: Rizzi: Intermittant Control and Templates
  PDF is available via AFS as indicated below.

  • /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/arizzi/tmp/ohta-rnlc01.pdf
    Author(s):          Ohta, H. ; Yamakita, M. ; Furuta, K.
    Affiliation:        Dept. of Comput. Sci., Tokyo
                        Inst. of Technol., Japan
    Title:              From passive to active dynamic walking
    Source:             International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear
                        Control 11, no. 3, (March 2001) : 287-303 Journal Code:       Int. J.
                        Robust Nonlinear Control (UK)
                        Additional Info:    Wiley
    

  • /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/arizzi/tmp/00898695.pdf
    Author(s):          Grizzle, J.W. ; Abba, G. ; Plestan, F.
    Affiliation:        Control Syst. Lab., Michigan
                        Univ., Ann Arbor, MI, USA
    Title:              Asymptotically stable walking for biped robots:
                        analysis via systems with impulse effects
    Source:             IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 46, no. 1,
                        (Jan. 2001) : 51-64 Journal Code:       IEEE Trans. Autom. Control (USA)
                        Additional Info:    IEEE
    
    

  • /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/arizzi/tmp/01166523.pdf
    Author(s):          Westervelt, E.R. ; Grizzle, J.W. ; Koditschek, D.E.
    Affiliation:        Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci.
                        Dept., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
    Title:              Hybrid zero dynamics of planar biped walkers
    Source:             IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 48, no. 1,
                        (Jan. 2003) : 42-56 Journal Code:       IEEE Trans. Autom. Control (USA)
                        Additional Info:    IEEE
    
    

  • /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/arizzi/tmp/klavins-kod-ijrr02.pdf
    Author(s):          Klavins, E. ; Koditschek, D.E.
    Affiliation:        Dept. of Comput. Sci.,
                        California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
    Title:              Phase regulation of decentralized cyclic robotic
                        systems
    Source:             International Journal of Robotics Research 21, no.
                        3, (March 2002) : 257-75 Journal Code:       Int. J. Robot. Res. (USA)
                        Additional Info:    Sage Publications
    

• March 31: Chris Atkeson: Dynamic Programming Approaches to Controller Design
  Readings
  • Minimax Differential Dynamic Programming: Application to a Biped Walking Robot, Morimoto, Zeglin, and Atkeson, submitted to IROS 2003.
  • Nonparametric Representation of Policies and Value Functions, A Trajectory-Based Approach, Atkeson and Morimoto, NIPS 2002.
• Apr 7: Joel Chestnut: Gait Transitions
  Readings
  • Foot Step Planning: Planning Biped Navigation Strategies in Complex Environments
  • Gait Transitions: Hodgins, J. 1991, Biped gait transitions. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. pp. 2091-2097. Movie (Avi Cinepak 126Mb)
  • Bonus reading (outside graphics lab): Raibert, M. 1990, Trotting, Pacing, and Bounding By a Quadruped Robot, J. Biomechanics, 23, 79-98.
• Apr 14: Ethan T Aibo/quadruped
  Readings
  • Fast Parametric Transitions for Smooth Quadrupedal Motion
• Apr 21: Octavio Juarez: Dancing
  Readings
  • Recognition and Generation of Leg Primitive Motions for Dance Imitation S. Nakaoka, A. Nakazawa, K. Yokoi and K. Ikeuchi
  • Optimizing Human Motion for the Control of a Humanoid Robot A. Safonova , N.S. Pollard and J.K. Hodgins
• Apr 28: Kuffner:planning, zmp filters
  
  • Honda paper from ASI2001 outside graphics lab door
  • Planning Walking Patterns for a Biped Robot, Qiang Huang, Kazuhito Yokoi, Shuuji Kajita, Kenji Kaneko, Hirohiko Arai, Noriho Koyachi, and Kazuo Tanie, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION, VOL. 17, NO. 3, JUNE 2001
  • Synthesis of a Walking Primitive Database for a Humanoid Robot using Optimal Control Techniques, J. Denk and G. Schmidt
  • Foot rotation indicator (FRI) point: A new gait planning tool to evaluate postural stability of biped robots. Ambarish Goswami
  • Running Pattern Generation for a Humanoid Robot Shuuji Kajita (AIST), Takashi Nagasaki (U.of Tsukuba), Kazuhito Yokoi, Kenji Kaneko and Kazuo Tanie (AIST), ICRA2002
  • A Realtime Pattern Generator for Biped Walking, Shuuji Kajita, Fumio Kanehiro, Kenji Kaneko, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, Kazuhito Yokoi and Hirohisa Hirukawa ICRA2002

All the topics we could think of.

Grand Challenges

• Make AIBO stand up on its hind legs and balance (beg).
• Make AIBO walk on three legs (limp).
• Make AIBO walk on two legs.

Assignment 1

Assignment 1: Find a control scheme that minimizes the cost for walking for 20 seconds for the "compass" or "stiff-legged" biped. You can use the software below, or you can write your own. The cost function is defined in the software below (see compass1.c).

All the software in .tar.gz form

compass.sd description of robot for SDFAST
compass_sar.c SDFAST output
compass_dyn.c SDFAST output
sdlib.c standard SDFAST support routines
compass1.c my interface to SDFAST

demo-policy1.c demo program to run a policy (controller)
demo-pdw.c demo program to run passive dynamic walking (sideways gravitational force simulates tilted walkway)
compass1.h .h file
compass1-policy.c a simple policy (controller)
compass1-policy.h .h file

compass1-graphics.c X11 graphics.
no-graphics.c compile with no-graphics.c to run on non-X11 systems.
useful.c some useful routines.

Assignment 2

Design an "intuitive" (Raibert style) controller for the compass biped.

Assignment 3

Demonstrate the compass biped passive dynamic walking generated by the demo-pdw.c demo program is stable (ideally by estimating eigenvalues (Floquet multipliers))

Bonus: Find the maximally stable passive dynamic walking pattern for the compass biped (define stable).

Bonus 2: Find the maximally robust passive dynamic walking pattern for the compass biped (define robust).